Fifty years ago, German Field Marshal Count Moltke wrote: The material and spiritual consequences of any large-scale battle are so far-reaching that they usually take the form of a radically altered form.

This sentence is completely apt to describe the form after the Sino-Japanese battle of Shandong.

After the outbreak of the Shandong Campaign, the impact on China and Japan and even the world was enormous; although Europe was engaged in the largest war in human history, with the highest scientific and technological process and the heaviest casualties, all circles at home and abroad still expressed great concern about the Sino-Japanese War from very different standpoints.

After the outbreak of the Shandong Campaign, China and foreign countries closely followed the progress of the war, but the real situation was difficult to obtain. The warring sides have invariably closed off the news, giving great suspense to all those who are following the war.

On one side was Japan, which had already joined the Entente, and the other was seen as a potential ally of the Allies. The Sino-Japanese war was linked to the war in Europe.

The battle officially broke out on September 25, and because the Chinese strictly blocked the news, the rumors became marketable. It is mainly produced in Beijing, followed by Tianjin and Shanghai, two cities where foreigners gather, and spreads to the surrounding areas in various forms and at different speeds.

The most fierce response is not Beijing, but Tianjin. This important northern town, which was once the base camp of the Beiyang system, was not stationed by the Wehrmacht due to the restrictions of the Gengzi Treaty, and the nearest unit was stationed on the front line of Yangcun, declaring sovereignty and becoming a policeman. The city has a completely different atmosphere from Beijing because of its large expatriate population, with better information, freer speech, and a more trendy lifestyle. Since the Battle of Shandong began. People from all walks of life in Tianjin closely followed the development of the war, and although there were no official channels, the news of the Japanese army's capture of Gaomi, Changyi and other places still spread, triggering a student uprising.

On October 10, more than 1,000 teachers and students of Tianjin University (formerly known as Peiyang University Hall founded by Yuan Shikai) held a demonstration against Japanese aggression. No troops were mobilized to disperse the demonstrators. As a result, there was no bloodshed, which the Tianjin government feared most.

This scene was seen by the reporter of "Zilinxi Daily". Keen to perceive that the Japanese may have lost in Shandong! Otherwise the Japanese would not have been so restrained!

It was not until the afternoon of 15 October that the Propaganda Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense was instructed to hold a special news conference in Beijing, at which Defense Minister General Wang Mingyuan personally disclosed the latest war situation, and the "Zhonghua Bao," "National Defense News," and other major media added additional information. As soon as the news came out. Beijing immediately boiled. Citizens set off firecrackers throughout the night. All the streets and alleys are full of revelry crowds. The capital has become a sea of joy! Soldiers have become the loveliest people, and soldiers walking on the streets will inevitably be "ravaged", and they will be surrounded by fanatical students. was lifted up to join the procession. Universities and middle schools in Beijing have a day off on the 16th to celebrate. On the 16th alone, the Beijing Municipal Government received a spontaneous donation of 7 million yuan from the people!

All worries were dissipated, and the heroic Wehrmacht lived up to expectations and won another great victory after the victory in Qingdao! The four divisions attacked by the Japanese devils are all finished! The depression that had been suppressed in my heart for a month was all released, "Long live the Wehrmacht!" "Long live the President!" The slogans shouted by the parade resounded in the sky.

After Beijing, victory marches broke out in Shenyang, Tianjin, Jinan, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanchang and other cities. "Long live President Longda" became the slogan of all urban marchers.

The Japanese diaspora suffered in China's national celebrations, and violence against Japanese expatriates occurred in almost all cities, extending to those Chinese who worked for the Japanese, about 70% of whom gave up their jobs, and traitors became a stinky puddle to avoid. No matter how high the salary is, it is not easy to get.

The strictest zhòng is still in Wuhan. Contingents of students and workers poured into the Japanese concession in Hankow, and Japanese-owned shops were smashed, killing at least two Japanese expatriates. It took a lot of effort for a group to be urgently transferred to stop the crowd's assault on the Japanese consulate.

On October 21, the Office of the President issued an urgent notice to all provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government, urging local governments to strengthen the protection of foreign embassies and consulates in China, cultural organizations, and business enterprises, and not to infringe upon them at will. The circular particularly stresses that in the future, under no circumstances will the portrait of the national leader or the slogan "Long live the leader" be displayed.

This official document did not have the desired effect. Once the feelings suppressed in the hearts of the people break out, they are by no means something that can be stopped by an official document. For more than 100 years, China has been invaded and infiltrated by foreign powers in the military, economic, and cultural fields, and "foreigners" have become a special species that stands tall above. Well, now, the Wehrmacht created by the President not only took Qingdao back from the Germans, but also defeated the Orientals neatly! That long-lost sense of national pride burst out all of a sudden, what is it to clean up a few traitors and little devils? Shouting out Long live President Long Live is the voice of the people.

The war is not over, but almost everyone thinks it is.

The awakened China was looking forward to the good news that would follow, but the Great Powers wanted the war to end quickly.

"I can't go on!" Zhu Erdian said to Kant in a rare stern tone, "I have already conveyed to Lin Quanzhu the attitude of the British Empire, and it is foolish to continue to increase the number of troops!" The Japanese Empire abdicated its responsibilities and not only brought the Army to ruin, but also held back the actions already negotiated by the Navy, which the British Empire could not tolerate. ”

Kant nodded, he knew that the British were worried not about the German overseas colonies, nor about Spee's broken fleet, but about China slipping into the arms of the Germans.

The Battle of Shandong demonstrated the strength of the Chinese Army, and there is no need to doubt this. When the exact situation of the battle was transmitted back to France. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted swiftly and immediately sought to end the war, and there was absolutely no possibility of China joining the Allies. Kant knew that the British must have taken the same position.

Sure enough, the Germans have stepped up their efforts to woo China, and there is definite information that a few days ago, a German business delegation secretly came to China, and they came to China on American merchant ships, and the embassies, consulates, and intelligence agencies of Britain, France, Russia, and other countries have not yet received definite information.

"The French Republic is in complete agreement with the British Empire. But old friends. How do you get started? Kant asked Jurdian. The European War brought Britain and France together. Relations between the two countries have never been closer than they are today.

"We should get the Americans to step in. They speak more effectively. Zhu Erdian's face was gloomy, "Now the Chinese should be triumphant, and that warlord will definitely offer a high price that is difficult for the Japanese to accept." ”

"What's the solution?" Kant smiled, "Who let their two divisions be surrounded by people like iron buckets? Like two boiled ducks. "It's different from Zhu Erdian. Kant was concerned with military issues. After the press conference of the Ministry of Defense on the 15th. Britain and France, aside from the Russians, submitted a request to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense to send military observers to the battlefield for inspection, which was approved on the 16th. The embassies of the two countries immediately sent a joint military observer group to Shandong, which is now on its way back. However, the relevant reports have already been submitted, and the Chinese not only did not falsely report the results of the battle, but also concealed some of the results, and the Japanese troops in the two large encirclements in the north and south had run out of food and relied on killing horses to feed their hunger.

In Kant's view, the Chinese were very clever and, in their words, free-receiving, stopped continuing the attack after eliminating the 18th Division east of Qicheng, taking the 30,000 or 40,000 Japanese troops in the two encirclements hostage.

"Old friend, my opinion is that first of all, we must dispel the stupid behavior of the Japanese to increase troops, and General Wang of the Ministry of National Defense has made it clear that the Japanese continue to increase troops in Shandong and that they have not yet learned a lesson, and in this case, the Wehrmacht must accompany them to the end. Now, even if the Americans are willing to mediate, it will be difficult for China to accept it. You know, another Chinese division is massing, and it's an open buildup. In terms of manpower, no country is an opponent of China. You have a bigger say in this. ”

The Anglo-Japanese alliance had not expired, and in any respect, France had less influence on Japan than Britain. In the case of Russia, the situation is reversed.

Zhu Erdian shook his head, he had already met with the Japanese ambassador to China Hayashi Quanzhu twice, but Hayashi Quansuke's attitude was still very tough, at least China must compensate Japan for all the war losses, and it was possible to end the war. Otherwise, the empire did not hesitate to declare war on China and expand the war.

Strange wars. At this point, the two countries did not declare war, and the Japanese embassy in China was not closed. Of course, the Japanese have restrained a lot, and you don't usually see Japanese people on the streets.

"Maybe the Japanese are still lucky. The best way to end the war is the war itself," Kant asked Jurdian, "do you think there is any hope for Japan to turn the tables around?" ”

"No more. You must have noticed that the Chinese did not send a single soldier from the north. They were ready to go to war with Japan again in Manchuria or Tientsin. The Japanese did not have any advantage in either place. If you continue to increase the number of troops in Shandong, it is the most taboo refueling tactic in military science, which will not only fail to save the besieged troops, but also drag the reinforcements to death! In addition, Japan's finances will not be able to support the whole country in the first war, and it will not be possible to raise taxes unless the Americans will help him. But ......"

The Americans, of course, will not help Japan. Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Navy, which has grown dramatically in strength, has regarded the United States as an imaginary enemy. This is not the case ten years ago...... Britain and France, preoccupied with the European war, were simply unable to lend a helping hand to Japan.

"The rise in public sentiment in China is a very worrying thing. You are quite right about what you just said, the human resources of this country are almost endless. You must have noticed the long queue at the recruiting station, which was more for the Japanese. China won the battle, but they were also unable to make a comprehensive liquidation of Japan, and this is not only a naval problem, otherwise why would the Chinese be so restrained in Manchuria and Tianjin? Isn't now the perfect time to reclaim sovereignty? Zhu Erdian further analyzed.

"But Japan's stupidity will tear open a gap for that ambitious dictator that we don't want to see, a crack that will not heal if we harm our interests in China!" It was not only Japan that suffered, but also France, England, and, of course, Russia. Kant seems to have seen a vision of the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese war. A China that defeated Japan on land would be even more unruly. With more and more cards in China's hands and fewer and fewer cards in their hands, "put an end to this damned war, if there is an alliance between China and Germany, it will be an incalculable disaster for the Far East." You should do your best to contact Rui Enshi. ”

Zhu Erdian had not yet made an appointment to meet with the American ambassador Reinsch, and Major Langlezak, who had been sent by the French embassy to Shandong to watch the battle, returned to Beijing ahead of schedule. At the French Embassy in China, Major Langlezac gave a detailed report to the ambassadors of France, Britain and Russia on the fighting in Shandong, which he had personally observed.

"The Japanese troops in the two large encirclements have zero hope of breaking through on their own." Major Langlezak reported, "The Chinese artillery was slaughtering in one direction, and the Japanese basically did not counterattack. Perhaps the few ammunition saved to deal with the attack of the Chinese. According to the Chinese, the Japanese troops in the two encirclements had run out of food. Feed on the slaughter of war horses. Hold on for another half a month at most. The Japanese had to make a choice, either desperately break through or surrender. There is no third way to go. ”

"If the Japanese reinforcements are put in, won't it change shape?"

"No, it won't. We walked around Jiaoxian for two days. Jiaonan is still fighting fiercely. The Chinese army did not allow us to go there. But in terms of comparative analysis of troops. After the 6th and 1st Divisions of the Chinese Army met together, it was extremely unlikely that Japanese reinforcements would break through the Jiaozhou Bay defense line. Although the 9th Division escaped the doom of being encircled, it suffered extremely heavy losses. At the headquarters of the Chinese army in Jiaoxian, we saw a Japanese army flag, which had been burned for most of its part, but still had about a third of its remnants remaining. The commander of the Chinese army said that it was the flag of the 19th Wing of the Japanese Army, which was completely annihilated in the defensive battle of Jiaoxian. This wing was a unit of the 9th Division, and considering the casualties suffered by this division in the attack on Qingdao, the Chinese were not bragging when they said that they could drive the Japanese into the sea in one go. We believe that the Chinese did not attack the remnants of the 9th Division, which was guarding the landing ground along the coast, because they were afraid of long-range attacks by Japanese naval guns, and they also had the intention of seeking other ways to resolve the war. If Japanese reinforcements land in Jiaozhou Bay and launch an attack, the Chinese will first solve the Gaomi 3rd Division, which is said to be only 10,000 at most, in order to completely dispel the Japanese stupidity. ”

"Major, what do you think of the Chinese army? After a series of brutal battles, the Chinese army must have suffered huge casualties, do you think they have the ability to continue fighting without mobilizing reinforcements? ”

Langlezak stared at Ambassador Jurdian, who raised the question, with a strange look, "Of course, of course you can fight!" First of all, to correct one of your mistakes, a new division of the Chinese army, the 19th Division from the Southeast Military Region, has arrived in Jinan, and when I returned, I saw with my own eyes this unit that was changing into cotton clothes. If they want, they can bring in two more divisions. Moreover, I think that relying on the existing forces will solve the problem of one qiē. We visited several units of the Chinese army in Changyi, Gaomi and Jiaoxian, and they were full of spirit and eager to fight, and they did not have any problems encountered by the Japanese, whether it was weapons, ammunition or food. Troop losses? You know, this is a war on the Chinese's own turf, and the convoys that support the front ones alone will make up for the losses - if the Chinese are willing to do so. ”

"Estimate the time, the Japanese reinforcements should arrive in Shandong, do you have any news in Shandong?"

"There is no definite message. But I think the Chinese army has made all the preparations. Not to mention one division, two more will not turn the war around. There is no doubt that Japan lost. Major Langlezak once again emphasized his conclusions.

"So, do you evaluate this war from the eye of a connoisseur, and is the result accidental or inevitable?" Jurdian, who Kant considered to be ignorant and indifferent to military issues at all, raised the last question.

"The Japanese are so stupid. Inferior in troops, inferior in equipment, inferior in logistical supply, inferior in intelligence support, they actually launched an expedition when all factors were not superior. There is nothing worth talking about except for ridiculous courage. This result is inevitable. What the Sino-Japanese battle of Shandong exposed can also be learned from us, and their commanders will gain more experience after this war. The Chinese Army is already a force that can influence the situation in the region. ”

"Thank you, Major." Jurdian stood up and said to Kant and Kosovetz, "I think it's time for me to get down to business." (To be continued......)